A pound of slimy flesh slaps down on the deck, and I dodge by a near miss. The boat rocks violently as the tentacles seize every corner. We are going down and the world around me goes blur. I can't find my strength. I'm losing blood just as the rogue had predicted and the worst part is I can't heal. The crew shifts into battle mode. Everyone's fangs and claws are out in defence, but my wolf is buried underneath the surface and weak. I struggle to crawl away from the edge and find safety as chaos plays out. I hear screams, but it's a fair fight. It reaches a point where I cannot even see what is ahead. Now I'm at the entrance to the deckhouse, steadying myself on the wall. Drusila yells from behind me and a hand reaches out suddenly and shoves me out of the way. I stumble and fall. There's a piercing pain in my head as my skull collides with the floor of the deck. It's stinging my ears too, and the world slows. The war around me finds its voice. I roll over onto my back, breathing he
Drusila comes many hours later, and she looks different. I do not know how long I've stayed in this dark room, but I survived. My wolf did not desert me as Jai-Blynn expected, and I can't wait to throw it in his face. The old lady opens the cage and sets me free. I was shivering with fear when she found me. The dark is somewhere I dislike, even with my wolf's vision because a part of my history is dark enough to suffice. Since I woke up here, Drusila is the only one who's shown me kindness, so I save the bite of my tongue for those who need it. The fabric of her clothes is different now. She's dressed in a finely cut purple maxi skirt and jacket. Her age doesn't deceive me as it did when I first saw her in that tunic and knee-length boots. "We've reached land." I strain my ears, but I do not hear birds chirping. "How long has it been?" I ask as she leads me through a narrow passage I'm not familiar with. "Fourteen hours." Drusila stops before a small door and turns to me. "You ca
"Leave us." His deep voice demands, and Drusila obeys. He walks past me after that and I don't know where my mind is, thinking he would've helped me up. I stand on my own and turn to him with my hands crossed over my chest. Zeke's staff is not with him, and you can only tell his need for one if only you look closely. He's dressed casually in a grey cotton jacket and a black button-down shirt and pants. His brown hair looks different and longer. It's curled at his nape. He says unexpectedly, "Must be nice being a bloodline silver wolf. You heal faster than we all do." I'm lost for a moment, then I access my body and sight the bruise on my ankle. It's clearing up like magic and in a second, it doesn't hurt anymore. I spare a tight-lipped smile. "Yes, but it must be nice as well. You're a waterlink. A legacy. Now that was a shocker." Zeke rolls his gaze over his feet, bobbing his head. He juts his chin as he says, "We need to talk." I avert my eyes, looking anywhere else but at him
After the plane ride, Drusila hands me a pair of sunglasses and I don't understand what they are for until we leave the airport. Throngs of people rush towards us in this cold late afternoon. They're all asking questions and flashing their cameras our way. The lights blind me even with the dark glasses covering my eyes, and no one but me seems affected by it. Jai-Blynn is in a single-breasted suit, leading Zeke ahead, who's also wearing shades. Drusila falls in step with me and I can tell this is a normal occurrence for all of them. Zeke suddenly stops at the hearing of a particular question. "Is the owner of Vanver studios willing to try again?" The lady repeats, holding out her mic. She's tall and classy in a black suit jacket and tailored pants. Zeke takes off his shades and doesn't even break a smile, but his expression is far from a grimace. "Only time will tell, Maggie," he says. They murmur at his vague answer. After Zeke throws the reporters off balance, he continues o
He holds out the dagger for me, and I eye it sceptically for a minute. He hangs his hand, waiting for me to see that my thoughts do not matter and regardless, I will still sign it as he has ordered. I take the dagger and cut my palm. Before it can heal up, I dip my thumb in the lump of blood that has formed over it. The torn skin heals immediately, just as I stamp my thumb on the spot Jai-Blynn shows me. It creates a gleaming silver mark in its wake. Zeke picks the seal and signs it off after me. The beta leaves us again, carrying the dagger with him. "What do you do?" I ask suddenly, cleaning off the smear of blood with a tissue. He says unconsciously, "I'm the people's favourite, Marelyn. I make films and star in them." "You must have enemies?" I don't know why that comes out next, but I'm genuinely curious to know what I am getting myself into. He said I've not even come close to seeing what his life looks like and I want to be sure it's not what I think it is. He checks the ti
I swear I hear her sniffle before she looks away. Drusila stands abruptly and changes the subject. "Enough of the past. It's late and dinner's getting cold. We've travelled for so long that I really miss my pillow." I smile faintly at that, but it's on a line between a grimace and a wince. I can't forget the horrible image painted in my head, and I'm afraid I'll look at Zeke differently from now on. But I mentally smack myself in the cheek. Trust isn't blind. I can't let empathy go against my better judgement. I inform her. "I'm not hungry, but I'll like to be alone now." Drusila looks like she doesn't approve of my response, but she doesn't scold me. She leaves quietly and closes the door behind her. I'm alone in my room now and my eyes feel heavy. I yawn and stretch my hands over my head. The dresser is far away but I must change out of these clothes, even though I'm exhausted. I walk over to the table and pull down the front zip of the jumpsuit. It's down halfway, giving off a
Jai-Blynn walks ahead, leading me to the house of the pack's doctor, Taz. I figured out who he was, and after dinner, Zeke sent me to him to begin everything. The beta who's always on my watch does his job by following me. It's dark outside and I'm rubbing my palm over my arm with slightly clattering teeth. "If it helps, I'm glad you survived." He starts and I'm shocked to see he wants to speak to me. "Sorry to disappoint...again." I sigh and mutter as the wind blows away strands of fallen hair from my face. "Again?" He looks over his shoulder, and I nod, even though he's turned back already and can't see me. "The Alpha's choice was not a favourite, if I remember correctly. She didn't fit the beta's type." I spit and wrap my arms around myself as we continue down the cobblestone walkway. Jai-Blynn smirks for a moment. "I've had time to reconsider." "And what has changed your mind?" I loosen the bun on my hair and let it drape over my shoulders to ward off the cold. He appears se
Mist clears away from my eyes and I can see the bed ceiling clearly now. I turn my neck and find Jai-Blynn standing there with his arms crossed. I have memories in my head, but it's not of the beta. Zeke is carrying me bridal style and the look on his face is primal fear. There's chaos around me before it goes black again. Zeke was here. I can tell because the images in my head may seem distorted, but they actually happened. I feel it. Jai-Blynn notices I'm awake and breaks a small smile. He whispers. "Hey. How are you?" I nod, still scanning my gaze around the room. "Peachy." "You scared me for a second." He plants himself by my side on the bed, and I don't recoil. I am warming up to the beta. "Where is Zeke?" My question hangs unanswered for a minute and I see him clench his jaw and avert his gaze to the door. The aura I sense is weird. I can't grasp it. I repeat louder. "Is something wrong? Where's Zeke?" He snaps his neck back at me and smiles easily. "No, Mare. Nothing